Ukraine: Greece ‘in synch’ with EU, NATO over the krisis issue

Greece is “completely synchronized” with its European Union partners and NATO allies over unfolding developments in Ukraine, the government’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Council said on Tuesday.

In a statement released after an emergency meeting convened by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the council reiterated Athens’ position that Moscow’s recognition on Monday of breakaway states and its mobilization of troops, ostensibly on a “peacekeeping” mission, is a “violation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and of the fundamental principles of international law.”

With regards to thousands of Greek citizens and ethnic Greeks living in the former Soviet nation, the government said that the relevant authorities in Kyiv and Mariupol are “in a constant state of readiness to provide whatever assistance may be necessary.”

Amid concerns that a war in Ukraine and European sanctions against Russia could have an impact on natural gas supplies, the meeting was also attended by Energy Minister Kostas Skrekas.

The government, the statement added, has examined all the likely scenarios from such a development and has taken the steps necessary to ensure that supply continues.